China: Exceeds its 2020 Solar Power Target

China has more than doubled its end-of-decade solar power target, with new installations dramatically outstripping expectation, according to the government’s energy agency. The country is already the biggest producer of solar energy in the world, and that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.

In the last two months alone, China has added 24.02 GW of solar capacity. As a result, total solar PV capacity now exceeds the government’s 2020 goal of 105GW, set as recently as last year.

By 2020, China is aiming to build 54.5GW of large-scale solar projects—PV stations, and agriculture and husbandry combinations.

That alone surpasses the total solar capacity of both the UK and Germany combined.

The new target reflects the huge potential for distributed solar—electricity that is produced at the same spot where it is used. Under the new regulation, there are no limitations on the installation of distributed renewables, meaning innovations like rooftop solar panels are on track to soar.

The astounding growth of wind and solar power in China means that the country is on track to generate Germany’s total electricity consumption from these sources by 2020. Generation from wind and solar would amount to around nine percent of China’s own consumption, up from 5.2 percent last year.

The use of fossil fuels is bad for the environment and downright deadly for human beings. Fortunately, things are changing all over the world, thanks to the fact that solar energy is getting cheaper and more efficient all the time.